The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicked off Thursday — and HuffPost is live-blogging every twist, turn and controversy of what’s widely shaping up to be the most political soccer tournament of all time.From the action on the pitch to the potential chaos off it, the storylines are already piling up: Iran’s tough journey to the competition amid Donald Trump’s war, the president’s close relationship with FIFA’s Peace Prize-awarding President Gianni Infantino, and simmering tensions between the U.S. and fellow host nations Mexico and Canada fueled by Trump’s tariffs and divisive rhetoric.Trump’s travel bans have kept some fans and officials out; there’s been fury over soaring ticket prices, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents could be present at games as the Trump administration continues its anti-immigration crackdown.Not to mention extreme heat concerns that scorched everyone involved the last time the U.S. hosted the tournament, some 32 years ago, in 1994.And that’s all before a ball has been kicked.President Donald Trump, left, received the FIFA Peace Prize from FIFA President Gianni Infantino, right, in December.Andrew Harnik via Getty ImagesOn the field, the men’s national teams from 48 countries will compete in a record 104 matches across the three host nations in what will be the biggest World Cup in history.Mexico beat South Africa at the iconic Mexico City Stadium in the opening game on June 11. The U.S. will play Paraguay in Los Angeles on June 12, Australia in Seattle on June 19 and Turkey back in Los Angeles on June 25, in the group games, before potentially competing in the later knockout rounds.The final will be held on July 19 at MetLife Stadium, which is being temporarily rebranded as the New York/New Jersey Stadium for the competition.Current European champions Spain are favorites to lift the trophy. Defending champions Argentina, of Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi fame, along with France, England and Brazil, are also expected to be in the mix.Check out the full games schedule on the FIFA website.Follow along with our coverage below:Iran Gets Cheerful Sendoff In Mexico Ahead Of World Cup Opener In Los AngelesTIJUANA, Mexico, June 14 (Reuters) - Iran's national soccer squad left their Tijuana base camp to a rousing sendoff on Sunday, with supporters lining five-deep on a packed sidewalk outside their hotel on the eve of their World Cup opener against New Zealand in Los Angeles.Fans, pressed against green wire fencing, chanted "Team Melli" — Persian for "national team" — as the players emerged from the hotel and walked towards the waiting bus.Staff in red Iran shirts had distributed small Iranian flags through the fencing to the assembled crowds, and they waved them furiously when the team emerged.Many of the players, dressed smartly in navy blue polo shirts and beige trousers, waved and smiled at those who had gathered while some members of the delegation took video of the scene with their phones.One supporter held a yellow sign with black lettering reading "Iran, you will never walk alone. Mexico stands with you."A young boy perched on someone's shoulders clutched the official Panini FIFA World Cup 2026 sticker album, open to the Iran squad page.At one point, the crowd sang in Spanish, "Iran, brother, you are Mexican now."Iranian soccer federation President Mehdi Taj stood outside the hotel as the players left with many of the supporters following the bus down the street as it drove away.The Iranian community in Tijuana is tiny - around 20 people - and much smaller than that of Los Angeles, which is home to the largest Iranian community outside Iran.Tens of thousands of Iranian-Americans live in LA, where a distinct diaspora often referred to as "Tehrangeles" has taken root.Coach Amir Ghalenoei and striker Mehdi Taremi are scheduled to take part in a press conference at Los Angeles Stadium at 6:45 p.m. ET (2245 GMT).Members of the Iranian-American community have planned to gather near Los Angeles Stadium later on Sunday to protest what they called the Iranian government's ongoing human rights abuses.Iran moved their World Cup base camp from a sports complex in Arizona to Mexico late last month after the U.S. and Israel conducted joint strikes on Iran beginning in late February.This is the first ‌World Cup since its inception in 1930 in which a host nation is set to receive a country it is at war with.Monday's Group G fixture against New Zealand at Los Angeles Stadium will be played against the backdrop of the U.S. war with Iran, adding a charged atmosphere to a contest between two nations that have never met at the World Cup.(Reporting by Herbert Villarraga; Writing by Frank Pingue in Toronto, Ossian Shine in New York, Editing by Ken Ferris)Latest Live Updates2 Men Charged After Gear Stolen From England's World Cup TeamProsecutors in Jackson County, Mo., have charged two Texas men with one felony count each of receiving stolen property after the theft of equipment belonging to England's national soccer team.Charged were Mustafa Salik, 40, and Erfan Kamal, 36. The felony charge could result in a prison term of up to seven years if they are convicted.Bond was set at $75,000. They remained held at the Jackson County Detention Center as of Sunday morning."Jackson County will not tolerate any criminal activity that targets World Cup visitors, including the international teams that have traveled here to compete," Jackson County prosecutor Melesa Johnson said. "We thank the Kansas City Police Department and our on-call attorneys for their quick work in filing charges immediately."The men are alleged to have stolen about $18,000 worth of gear during the team's relocation from a training site in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., to its World Cup base camp in Kansas City.The items were not part of the essentials needed for game day. KCUR in Kansas City reported the stolen gear included signed jerseys, clothing, cleats and two stuffed animals -- lions to reflect the team's name, Three Lions.Much of the gear has been returned to England.Ranked No. 4 in the world, England chose Kansas City for a base camp for its central U.S. location.The Three Lions' Group L opener is on Wednesday against Croatia in Arlington, Texas. England also will play Ghana on June 23 in Foxborough, Mass., and Panama on June 27 in East Rutherford, N.J.— Field Level MediaFIFA To Pay Somali Referee After U.S. Denying Him Entry To World CupMIAMI, June 14 (Reuters) - Somali soccer referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, who was denied entry into the United States to officiate at the World Cup, will be paid his full tournament fee.The Trump administration said the United States had denied Artan entry for the World Cup because of his links to "suspected members of terror organizations".A source familiar with the matter said even though Artan will take no part in the World Cup, FIFA has committed to paying his salary.Artan, Africa's referee of the year in 2025, was set to become the first Somali to officiate at soccer's global showpiece, but was turned back by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.However, he returned home to a hero's welcome while European soccer body UEFA appointed him to officiate the UEFA Super Cup match between Paris St Germain and Aston Villa in August.(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Miami; Editing by Toby Chopra)Curaçao To Become Smallest Country Ever To Compete In World CupBOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) — Curaçao is preparing for its historic World Cup debut against four-time champion Germany with a sense of excitement and pride.On Sunday, the island nation of 150,000 people will become the smallest country ever to compete at the World Cup.Coach Dick Advocaat has done his best to keep his players focused and relaxed as they navigate this unprecedented experience.“Just be yourself, and don’t be nervous,” defender Shurandy Sambo said Advocaat told them, just before the team left its Florida base camp for Houston. “Of course everybody is excited, but just be yourself, show yourself, because this is the biggest stage.”The Curaçao players have worked hard to ensure they are prepared for their debut. Germany, making its 21st appearance in the World Cup, is a heavy favorite.“We’ve watched a lot of clips of Germany. How they play, what they can do,” Sambo said.Advocaat said there is more pressure on teams like Germany that are considered favorites and that his team has “everything to win and nothing to lose.”He's confident that Curaçao is ready for the challenge of facing Germany, which he referred to as a towering contender.“We are a minor, very small country compared to Germany and we’re going to make life very difficult for them,” he said. “We’re going to be a very unpleasant team to play.”Curaçao’s squad is representing a country that rarely has a chance to have moments as big as this on international sports stages.Due to its strong Dutch ties, Curaçao is not recognized in the Olympics as its own nation, and despite its impressive per-capita production of professional baseball athletes, Curaçao players represent the Netherlands at the World Baseball Classic.“We are not here to just be here,” midfielder Ar’jany Martha said. “We want to show ourselves and get good results.”Despite the country’s small population, Curaçao will have plenty of supporters to cheer them on as they make history. Sambo said his own family will be attending, as will 21 families of other players.“I (would describe us) as one big family,” defender Livano Comenencia said. “If you see us on the bus or outside the bus, in the hotel, we are always with music, always happy. Everybody is around each other.”___Gracie Fisher is a student in the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.___AP Sports Writer Kristie Rieken contributed to this story.___AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cupWorld Cup Bus Set Ablaze In New York City As Chaotic Celebrations Erupt Over Knicks WinNEW YORK, June 14 (Reuters) - A World Cup bus was set alight and a teenager suffered a gunshot wound during chaotic scenes in Midtown Manhattan as thousands of basketball fans poured into the streets late on Saturday to celebrate the New York Knicks' historic win in the NBA Finals.Some fans set off fireworks and fired smoke grenades after spilling out of packed bars and outdoor venues, chanting "Knicks in five!" to mark their team's victory in the fifth game of a possible seven.The New York Knicks have not won a title since 1973, and this was just their third appearance in the finals after losses in 1994 and 1999 - to the Houston Rockets and the San Antonio Spurs, whom they defeated on Saturday night.WORLD CUP SHUTTLE BUSES SWARMEDAt about 2 a.m., a 17-year-old was shot in the foot during celebrations in Times Square, a New York police officer told Reuters. Three persons of interest were in custody, he added.As the celebrations ran into the night, hundreds of mostly young people swarmed a convoy of about 15 shuttle buses in Times Square after they transported soccer fans from the first World Cup game in the New York City area between Brazil and Morocco, which ended in a draw.Some of them climbed onto the roofs of the buses, got inside and sat in the driving seats. One of the yellow school buses the city government hired to help transport soccer fans was set on fire, according to a Reuters video journalist who witnessed it in flames. It was not immediately clear if anyone was injured in the incident. At least three more shuttle buses were badly damaged by crowds.A bicycle was hauled onto the roof of another bus and supporters of the Brazilian soccer team joined Knicks fans on the roof of a bus, waving their national flag. A man with a bleeding face walked through the crowds, but Reuters could not determine what caused his injury."They are expressing their happiness, a little bit violently, but it is what it is," said Youssef Sabbr, a 49-year-old Canadian of Moroccan descent, who had got off one of the World Cup game buses before it was surrounded by crowds."That's what happens everywhere around the world when a team wins," Sabbr said.POLICE MOVE IN, CHASE FANSPolice fenced off some streets and after holding back for about two hours, officers in riot gear moved in, chasing fans down the streets.Some officers on horseback pushed crowds back, clearing streets around Madison Square Garden, the Knicks’ home court.Carol Marino, a real estate agent from New York in her 50s was taking a breather on a sidewalk after watching the game in a bar."Oh my God. It's like New Year's Eve times twenty," she said about the celebrations.Elsewhere, jubilant fans played drums, hugged each other, and climbed scaffolding and traffic lights.New York couple Dean and Christina Smiros said they have been Knicks fans all their lives and were happy to see their team win the first time in their lifetime."They have not won since before we were born," Christina said.(Reporting by Maria Tsvetkova and Ed Ou;Editing by Helen Popper)'We Want Them To Win': Algerians Hit It Off With Kansas Locals Ahead Of World CupThe Algerian national football team has drawn swaths of enthusiastic fans in Lawrence, Kansas, after making the city its base camp for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, The Kansas City Star reports."If they wanna come to Lawrence, obviously we love them, we support them," Ocean Comfort, a soccer player at William Jewell College, told Algerian outlet El Heddaf TV. "You know, we want them to win and go far."In another viral clip, a local man admitted to the news outlet that "we don't know too much" about Algeria, but "we want to welcome you here." The team, also known as Les Fennecs ("The Desert Foxes"), held a training session at Kansas University's Rock Chalk Park on Thursday that drew a crowd of thousands and kicked off with the school's band playing the Algerian national anthem, according to USA Today."Respect," wrote team star Riyad Mahrez on X alongside a video of the band. "Thank you so much for the welcome."Scotland Fans Take Boston By Storm For World Cup Opener: 'Absolutely Everyone Is Here'Tens of thousands of Scottish fans have flooded the Boston area ahead of the Scotland vs. Haiti match slated to kick off at 9 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough."It's a Scotland invasion, absolutely everyone is here. I don't know how there's anyone left at home," Glasgow resident David Martin, 28, told the BBC.Social media was filled Friday and Saturday with videos of Scots partying it up with the people of Boston. Knicks Fever Collides With World Cup In Wild Day For NYC Sports FansOf course, that won’t stop orange-and-blue-blooded Knicks fans from teeming into the area near the team’s Manhattan arena to watch on bar TVs and big screens as their team — playing 1,580 miles (2,545 kilometers) away in San Antonio — looks to clinch its first title in 53 years.Read more from the AP:World Cup Weather Watch: Haiti vs. ScotlandHere's what fans can expect in Foxborough, Massachusetts, for the 2026 FIFA World Cup match between Haiti and Scotland on June 13, including temperatures, the Fan Comfort Index (FCI) level and any weather concerns.1/22/2World Cup Weather Watch: Brazil vs. MoroccoHere's what fans can expect in East Rutherford, New Jersey, for the 2026 FIFA World Cup match between Brazil and Morocco on June 13, including temperatures, the Fan Comfort Index (FCI) level and any weather concerns.1/22/2World Cup Weather Watch: Qatar vs. SwitzerlandHere's what fans can expect in Santa Clara, California, for the 2026 FIFA World Cup match between Qatar and Switzerland on June 13, including temperatures, the Fan Comfort Index (FCI) level and any weather concerns.1/22/2See All Updates